Fisheries and Aquaculture in the Danube and the Black Sea region: views for building forward better Hosted by MEP Carmen AVRAM, SEArica Vice-Chair responsible for the Danube and the Black Sea, and co-organised by the Balkan and Black Sea Commission of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe (CPMR BBSC) and the International Centre for Black Sea Studies (ICBSS) Thursday 22 April 2021 from 11:00 to 13:30 (CEST) The online conference, hosted and chaired by MEP Carmen AVRAM, will be divided in two sessions. The first one will address the challenges of the fisheries sector related to the pandemic, such as disruptions in supply chains for fish and aquatic foods caused by disturbances of transportation, trade, and labour. The second session will discuss opportunities and next steps for the post-COVID-19 era. Fishing and aquaculture are among the hardest hit sectors during the pandemic of COVID-19, as demand for fisheries and seafood has been experiencing a dramatic downturn, due to preventative measures against COVID-19 that have led retailers, restaurants, and other large-scale buyers to reduce or temporarily close down their activities. Furthermore, sectors on which the fisheries and seafood industries depend on, such as logistics, have also been affected by the situation. The fishing and aquaculture production sectors are extremely diverse, both freshwater and marine, and of significant socio-economic importance to the wider Black Sea region. The measures adopted to contain the COVID-19 outbreak at national and international level, have impacted directly or indirectly on the operations of the sectors, resulting in challenges but also opportunities for the next day. The conference will aim at providing a dialogue platform amongst EU and national policy-makers and key regional stakeholders to encourage a debate that will allow for the better understanding of the challenges, as faced by stakeholders on the ground, and the different opportunities that derive from the various EU policies, strategies and initiatives in this diverse but with high potential region. Agenda The online conference will be chaired and moderated by Ms Carmen AVRAM, SEArica Vice-Chair responsible for the Danube and the Black Sea • Welcome by Ms Carmen AVRAM, Member of the European Parliament, Vice-Chair of the SEArica Intergroup, responsible for the Danube and the Black Sea Session 1: The challenges of the pandemic – disruptions in supply chains for fish and aquatic foods and disturbances in transportation, trade, and labour • Ms Valerie LAINE, Head of Fisheries Management Mediterranean and Black Sea (MARE.D.1) Unit, Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE), European Commission • Mr Valentin MOLDOVEANU, Acting President of the CPMR Balkan and Black Sea Commission (CPMR BBSC), Tulcea County Councillor (Romania), and Danube Delta FLAG Manager • Dr Viktor KOMORIN, Director of the Ukrainian Scientific Center of Ecology of the Sea (UkrSCES), Member of the Board of Directors of the International Centre for Black Sea Studies (ICBSS) • Mr Catalin PLATON, President of Romfish Association (representative association for Romanian aquaculture sector) and Member of Aquaculture Advisory Council Session 2: Opportunities and next steps • Mr Iain SHEPHERD, Senior Expert - Maritime Policy - Blue Growth, Data and Innovation, Maritime innovation, Marine Knowledge and Investment (MARE.A.1) Unit, Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE), European Commission • Black Sea Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) by Professor Dr Baris SALIHOGLU, Black Sea CONNECT Coordinator • Mr Konstantin PETROV, Subregional Coordinator for the Black Sea, General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) • Mr Alexei NISTREAN, Executive Manager, Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Permanent International Secretariat (BSEC PERMIS) • Dr Cristina SANDU, President, International Association for Danube Research (IAD) (Austria) • Mr Zurab DEKANOIDZE, Head of the Licencing Department of the LEPL National Environmental Agency of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia and Mr Konstantine TOPURIA, First Deputy Mayor, Municipality of Poti City (Georgia) Reaction by: • Mr Ivo HRISTOV, Member of the European Parliament, Member of SEArica Intergroup, Member of the Committee on Fisheries (PECH) and European Parliament rapporteur on the “Challenges and opportunities for the fishing sector in the Black Sea” report Open discussion Closing remarks by: • Ms Carmen AVRAM, Member of the European Parliament, Vice-Chair of the SEArica Intergroup, responsible for the Danube and the Black Sea Participants are kindly requested to register here in order to guarantee the smooth organisation of the webinar. with the support of the Contacts: - Ms Cristina GANAPINI, Policy Analyst, CPMR: [email protected] - Mr Stavros KALOGNOMOS, BBSC Executive Secretary, CPMR: [email protected] - Ms Georgia CHANTZI, Research and Policy Development Manager, ICBSS: [email protected] - Mr Sabin CIORNEA, Assistant to MEP Carmen Avram: [email protected] - Ms Silvia Ana Nicoleta TOMESCU, Assistant to MEP Carmen Avram: [email protected] .